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Baked Tuscan Chicken

Baked Tuscan chicken with crispy, golden-roasted thighs in a sun-dried tomato and spinach Parmesan cream sauce. The sauce bakes until it’s bubbling and lightly thickened, with vibrant red tomatoes and green spinach around the chicken.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 680
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken thighs
  • 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • 0.5 Salt
  • 0.5 pepper
  • 0.5 garlic powder
  • 0.5 Italian seasoning
  • 0.5 smoked paprika
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Tuscan cream sauce
  • 4 garlic minced
  • 0.5 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained and sliced
  • 0.5 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 2 cup fresh baby spinach
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 0.25 fresh basil for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 oven-safe skillet

Method
 

Preheat and season
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F, then season the chicken thighs generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika.
  2. Heat the olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and lay the chicken thighs skin-side down.
  3. Sear skin-side down for 6-7 minutes until deeply golden, then flip and sear for 3 more minutes before removing the chicken.
Build the sauce
  1. Cook the minced garlic for 30 seconds in the skillet.
  2. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1 minute, then deglaze with the chicken broth.
  3. Stir in the heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, then simmer briefly until combined.
  4. Stir in the fresh baby spinach until wilted.
Bake and garnish
  1. Nestle the chicken back into the sauce with the skin-side up.
  2. Bake uncovered for 18-20 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
  3. Garnish with fresh basil before serving.

Notes

Pro tip: Sear until the skin is deeply golden before baking—this keeps the thighs crisp even after the creamy sauce reduces. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 3 days; reheat gently in a covered oven-safe dish at 325°F until warmed through. Freezing is not recommended because the cream sauce can separate after thawing. For a dairy-light swap, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream and reduce baking time by 2 minutes so it stays smooth.